Friday 21st Feb 2014. MV/ WAI Mountain Gathering . 7:30 Registration for 8pm start. Venue: Lansdowne Hotel, Dublin. Our annual event with several members as speakers. Our guest speaker will be the prolific author Michael Fewer who will talk about '40 Years Walking - Michael Fewer's Journey from Then til Now'. "In my illustrated talk I will outline forty years of enjoying walking throughout Ireland and Europe, showing how my writing expanded my walking horizons." As well as bringing experienced description, Michael has a theme that will resonate with the many hundreds of members who have written as well as walked.

Peter Walker will muse on the word 'easy' in hillwalking...what do we mean when we use it, how easy for one is definitely not easy for others, and how difficulty is often best not gauged from the map. Martin Critchly & Sharron Schwartz will talk about 'Walking under our mountains: A mine explorer's Mountainviews' highlighting places such as Glendalough, Glenmalure etc. in the Wicklow Mountains. Simon Stewart and Mark Brennan will talk about what's new and will request community effort to complete some projects. Awards for Personal achievements, Contributions to MountainViews or the Sport of Hillwalking.
There will be a substantial number of awards to complieters this year, over a dozen so far. The will be some contributor awards such as one to Jim Bloomer, list creator extraordinary, for his work we have used to extend the Binnion list of summits.
Please note: There is an entry fee of 5 Euro for this event which is used to finance MountainViews and the Walkers Association both of which have expenses and neither of which have many sources of income. The fee applies to awardees and committee members.Click here for more on talks and speakers

TUESDAY March 18th 2014 8:00pm. Mountain Rescue Ireland will present a talk to the WAI. Some years ago the WAI held a well attended talk on Mountain Rescue, riveting an audience with accounts of the work done, rescues performed etc. No doubt this will be the same. On this occasion the WAI will be able to present the proceeds of the WAI Pub Quiz and raffle to Mountain Rescue. Note, this event is on a Tuesday, not the usual Wednesday.

Wednesday Apr 16th 2014 Robin Simons: an inspiration 8:00pm. Robin Simons will give a talk titled “150 Mountains, my journey back to health”. Robin is 56 and was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in his late 20’s and then Parkinsons in Jan 2001. “Mountain and Hill walking are part of this amazing journey back to health. In five years I have climbed 150 mountains".
Ever felt that twinge should stop you walking? We know something of Robin's amazing story and felt it needs to be offered to a wider audience as an antidote to suffering or even hypochondriac walkers. Robin actually lives in the Maamturks and his pictures of the area, one that is always hard to see let alone photograph, are some of the best we have ever seen.

Report: "Wayfarers / WAI Pub Quiz"This was held in the Teachers Club, Parnell Square, Dublin. As in previous years the event was great fun with both general and hillwalking questions (although few of us agreed that Pluto is the smallest planet in the solar system). Proceeds to Mountain Rescue.

WAI talks are held in the Landsdowne Hotel, 27 - 29 Pembroke Road, Dublin 4 unless otherwise stated. Directions here http://www.lansdownehotel.ie . The excellent bar facilities allow you to have a drink with other hillwalkers after the event. You can get a meal before the meeting also.

NORTH: Northern delights
Member Harry Goodman enjoys a pleasant and agreeable walk up one of the Mournes' more diminutive hills, Slievenaslat.
group on Slievenaslat: A pleasant and agreeable walk
This hill marks the high point within Castlewellan Forest Park. Start from the main car park (charge) J335364 or leave the car in Castlewellan and walk into the park at no charge. From the main car park follow the waymarked Slievenaslat Trail (black markers). On arrival make sure to get a map of the various trails from the Park Office. While not the shortest route to the top this trail gives ... Click here

NORTH: Easy but satisfying hill
Two comment enthuse about Cave Hill, a popular trek for the people of Belfast for centuries. And its easy to see why.
group on Cave Hill: A short but rewarding climb
This route lies within Cave Hill Country Park and follows in the main good gravel or grass tracks. Start from a small car park just before Belfast Castle J330791 and climb up the path on the left . At a junction go right and continue up through the trees bearing left at any further junctions to gain an open flat area with fine views down over Belfast Lough. Continuing on take the next path to t ... Click here

NORTH: The mountain generally lacking its titular snows
A wonderful corner of Ireland disproportionately ill-favoured by the hillwalker is Inishowen. onzy has submitted a track of the round of the crowning summit of Slieve Snaght and its two satellites, tackled from the east as per Lynam's 'Best Irish Walks'. This is an easy morning on the hill with no obvious ways to link to other summits on foot, but with plenty of other objectives within a short driving distance.
Onzy on Slieve Snaght (Inishowen) Circuit
A circuit taking in Damph, Slieve Main and Slieve Snaght fro walk, Length:9.6km, Climb: 656m, Area: Damph, Inishowen (Ireland) Damph, Slieve Main, Sl Click here

NORTH: A low point of hillwalking!
Donald's Carn in the Antrim Hills is not so much a summit as a low lying flat field with a few aerials, and where the he ll is the summit anyway?!
group on Donalds Carn: In search of...
There is precious little point in complicating Donalds Carn. Turn off the B90 north up Island Magee at (467971) up the Gransha Braes road. In about 800m (475972) you will meet a crossroads; go straight over it, and at the T-Junction at (479974) turn right.
Find somewhere to park close to the aerials conspicuous on the right hand side of the road after 300m or so, and then exercise your judgeme ... Click here

NORTH: Shares in welly manufacturers...
Croaghan in Antrim is missing a lot more than merely a letter 'u' when compared to its near-namesake on Achill Island; another moist voluminous pudding of a hill entirely in keeping with its location. onzy has tracked the quickest way up it from the road to the south; this follows the Breen Forest Trail whose waymarkers (assuming they're still there) are probably suffering from trench foot by now. Plenty of other summits lie nearby but walking routes to them are lacking/gopping.
Onzy on Croaghan (Antrim Hills)
Up and down to Croaghan walk, Length:2.6km, Climb: 124m, Area: Croaghan, Antrim Hills (Ireland) Croaghan Click here

NORTH: Chambered grave marks the top
Carnanmore in the Antrim Hills boasts an ancient passage grave along with fine views of Rathlin Island and Scotland, recounts Harry Goodman.
group on Carnanmore: Site of a fine Chambered Grave.
This hill can be approached from the Torr Road running E from Ballyvoy. At D203403 (spot height 255 on the OS Sheet) initially follow a track a short way SSE and then at it's end continue on up the hill for about 1km to join a fence on the right D215393 heading up in the same direction. This can be followed up to the top a further 600 metres along. There is a fine Chambered Grave making the c ... Click here

NORTH: Rain down, rain down...
This month the tenth in the quasi-legendary series of Scavvy walks took place in the Mournes, all concerned cheerfully ignoring skies so lachrymose that local animals were observed going in two by two. Three routes were covered: onzy has accurately recorded the 'B' route (I can vouch for that, as I was walking right next to him most of the time) up Doan, contouring around to the col under Bearnagh before heading over Meelmore, Meelbeg and Loughshannagh to Carn Mountain). jackill led and recorded the 'C' itinerary (the same, but omitting Meelmore. The 'A' party's travails remain unrecorded (we think they added Bearnagh, but one can never be sure...maybe GPSs simply can't lock onto satellites at that speed).
Onzy on Scavvy 10 - B walk Route
Scavvy 10 - Mournes - B walk Route - Actual ascent was 850m walk, Length:14.1km, Climb: 258m, Area: Doan, Mourne Mountains (Ireland) Doan, Slieve Me Click here

WEST: Stunning vista of land, lough and sea
A first comment for Cornaclea Hill on Achill, which is easy to access and features magnificent views of the rugged, varied coastline, recounts Harry Goodman.
group on Cornaclea Hill: An easily accessible top.
Start from the car park for the Deserted Village F640072 and follow the stone track W for about 1.7km to F624070. Leave the main track and go NW up the hillside to a small subsidiary top and the ruins of an old Signal Tower. From here veer down W to a shallow col and then up NW a short way to gain the top of the hill with views down to the remote and, seldom visited, Annagh Strand and Lough Nake ... Click here

WEST: The joys of Achill's lesser tops
Benmore sits in the shadow of its famed neighbour Croaghan,, but the diminutive hill has its own merits, a sharply defined peak, magnificent views and dizzying cliffs.
group on Benmore: A worthy little top.
Parking is available at F560042 at Keem Strand. Follow a rough track W up the hillside and then SSE to gain the cliff edge on Moyteoge Head around F557038. Turn off right and go NW along the rough but distinct track, which parallels but lies back from the edge, to F545048. The top of Benmore lies about 100 metres SE up the grassy slope and provides fine views SE to Clare Island and W to Achil H ... Click here

SOUTH: Terrific little circuit
In a nice morning's walk, peter1 manages to bag two of the lesser south western Galty outliers. While there is a bit of a climb involved, it does not take too long. Maybe peter1 had already bagged Knockaterriff Beg, otherwise it is a pity to miss out on this other top while so close?
peter1 on Knockaterriff and Monabrack
2 peaks that I had never climbed as they lie off the main Ga walk, Length:6.7km, Climb: 617m, Area: Knockaterriff, Galty Mountains (Ireland) Knockate Click here

SOUTH: One for all the family
Member Hivisibility claims a first MV bag of Duntryleague Hill in the Ballyhouras, which is easy enough for the kids and features a passage tomb.
hivisibility on Duntryleague Hill: Nice walk on Duntryleague
Duntryleague Hill is essentially a loop walk incorporating the Darby’s Bed loop near the village of Galbally, Co. Limerick. To access same take the Tipperary road leaving the impressive square in Galbally, a well kept village and always does well in the tidy towns competition. Leaving the village the road squeezes between the flank of Duntryleague on the left with spot height 194 on the right. At ... Click here

SOUTH: "I'm on top of Seefin!" "Which one...?"
simon3 has submitted a concise contribution in the Ballyhouras, taking in the twin tops of Seefin Mountain while giving as much variety as these relatively gentle and grassy hills can offer. As well as noting possible extensions over Little Carron and Carron Mountain (and possible curtailments) he also outlines the 'secure paid vs insecure free parking' dilemma that can be inherent when using facilities designed for other outdoor sports...suffice to say this won't be a trip for those who dislike the company of mountain bikers.
Another review of this one: "On yer bike!"
For a minute there I thought that simon3 had taken to mountain biking when I saw this East Ballyhoura track! This excellent mountain biking area has a good secure car-park and refreshment area which is ideal for walkers and bikers alike. However, it was more a case of taking the high road. This is a lovely circuit which was extended out to the west rather than taking the short-cut down soon after Seefin Mountain W Top.
simon3 on East Ballyhouras walk.
This route started from the paying car park which has a moun walk, Length:14.6km, Climb: 533m, Area: Seefin Mountain E Top, Ballyhoura Mountains (Irel Click here

SOUTH: Cork is cheap...
A classic piece of rural summiteering is tracked by thomas_g in the pastures and trees close to the city of Cork. His quick loop walk presents no great challenge (save for those whose sense of smell can be overwhelmed, one suspects) and the objective (Doolieve) probably isn't worth a visit on its own account, but it could conceivably form part of a day's ticking in the South Cork area.
thomas_g on Quick Loop
A quick loop around some very muddy terrain (in winter), thi walk, Length:3.5km, Climb: 68m, Area: Doolieve, South Cork (Ireland) Doolieve Click here

SOUTH: Hillwalking in Cork city suburbs!
Little Knocknaheeny Hill is situated to the NW of Cork city, almost surrounded by houses and with a water tower plonked on top. Still, it's one you can bag….
group on Knocknaheeny: Under the water tower
Access to within 10m of the summit is possible from Meadow Avenue, to get access to the summit itself one must enter the grounds of the water tower area which is walled and fenced off, while the very damaged gate on the east side of the water tower wouldn't keep out a determined bagger, that would of course be trespassing on council property. Click here

SOUTH: Shall we bally?
The Ballyhouras are very much in vogue this month (by Ballyhouras standards) and jackill has tracked a textbook example of using motor transport to flit from one short walk to a couple more short walks. All these little shleps are well described on the site, and there is potential for more of this sort of thing hereabouts for those looking to lengthen their day.
jackill on Dashing up some Ballyhouras
3 ballyhoura summits in one car assisted dash walk, Length:14.5km, Climb: 895m, Area: Ballyarthur Hill, Ballyhoura Mountains (Ireland) Ballyarthur Hi Click here

EAST: Easy ascent to a lesser-spotted Wicklow top
Knockree is a prominent, but little visited point in the middle of Glencree Valley, and can easily be accessed via the Wicklow way, report Fergath and Jackill.
Fergalh on Knockree: Rough gorse track to summit
Turn off glencree road where the wicklow way trail heads south. Park at Knockree forest entrance (O18095 15925), than follow track all the way to bench, it loops back again shortly after where the wicklow way goes downhill. At the bench follow rough track through gorse to the summit Click here

EAST: Nice vantage point
Good to see that people are now doing some night walking. Hopefully the visibility was good when simoburn did this circuit to the top of the Sugar Loaf. The view from the summit on a clear night out to the north east towards Bray and east to Greystones is wonderful with all the lights twinkling below and the cars sweeping along the motorway.
simoburn on Great Sugar Loaf Loop Walk
Did the normal loop route at night. 2 hrs - 5kms. walk, Length:5.3km, Climb: 379m, Area: Great Sugar Loaf, Dublin/Wicklow (Ireland) Great Sugar Loaf Click here

EAST: None more black...
Towards the western edges of the Wicklow range lie the twin summits of Black and Sorrel Hills, which are tracked by march-fixer in a straightforward round above the Blessington Lakes. The going is straightforward in this popular area (the col between the tops is served by a road which could be used as an escape route) and anyone wanting more could contrive to add Silsean and Moanbane to the start and Lugnagun to the climax.
march-fixer on Black Hill - Sorrel Hill Circuit
What to do on a stormy wet day ... Go for a walk in the hill walk, Length:12.6km, Climb: 682m, Area: Black Hill, Dublin/Wicklow (Ireland) Black Hill, Click here

EAST: All at Sea/See
A five top round in one of the most popular areas of the mountains south of Dublin has been uploaded by simoburn, snaking from Seahan around to Kippure with a divergence to Seefin along the way. This provides a logical day's hillwalking; sufficiently logical that it cannot be sensibly linked to any adjacent summits.
simoburn on Seahan to Kippure Loop Walk
A loop walk of 21.8kms - 5hrs 8mins. Went up Seahan 647m, ac walk, Length:21.8km, Climb: 921m, Area: Seahan, Dublin/Wicklow (Ireland) Seahan, Corrig Click here

EAST: Irish island known to ancient Greeks…
There are lots and lots of birds on Lambay Island, a bunch of marsupials and tons of history, reports jackill,
jackill on Lambay Island: Cows, Birds, Wallabies and yet more Birds.
Every once and a while MV members visit offshore islands. In 2013 Wicklore put together a visit to Lambay.
Lambay is the largest island off the east coast of Ireland and is about 2.5 square kilometres in size, and rises to 126 metres elevation.
Lambay is owned by the Baring family and is currently occupied by Alex Baring (Lord Revelstoke). His ancestor Cecil Baring, 3rd Lord Revelstoke, bou ... Click here

EAST: Have map - will travel!
The way simoburn is burning up the miles it seems to be a singular mission of some sort. This December the Wicklow mountains have been traversed in all directions and this track is no exception. Except for what looks like a little error in direction after Ballycurragh Hill this is a well executed butterfly circuit of the south Wicklow mountains.
simoburn on Ballinacor to Ballycurragh Hill - Too much forest!
32.2kms in 7hrs 53mins. Ballinacor Mtn 531m, Croaghanmoira 6 walk, Length:32.2km, Climb: 1335m, Area: Ballinacor Mountain, Dublin/Wicklow (Ireland) B Click here

EAST: Smash 'n' grab
Noted MV powerhouse dessie1 has uploaded his vicious mugging of Tonelagee in Wicklow. A mountain more generally climbed as part of a longer trip over multiple tops, his track is a quick up and down from the Wicklow Gap; the shortest possible route to the summit. Without transport the route doesn't lend itself particularly to extension, but liberated from the necessity of returning to the start the pedestrian could head north or south-east to several distant destinations.
{{item=mvtrack2378}

Sorry if we didn't mention what you posted .. there's a list of all contributors for the month later.

FURTHER NEWS

Dancing at Lunacy, or, the community communal tyre-kicking of the new summits.
[ Our new summits have caused a torrent of new summit comments and a heap of forum angst. Hopefully this summary by Peter Walker, newsletter staff writer, might be amusing to all, including those who haven't yet discovered the 'delights' of MountainViews forums, replete with various characters. Nevertheless these are forums open to all to try, experienced or not. ]

MV's launch of a veritable plethora of new lists and the assault of an army of fresh Binnions has provoked a considerable degree of 'animated debate' along the length and breadth of the site. And inevitably, despite their being over 300 new summits to look at, the primary topic of discussion remains Tara. Have we even got the name right?

"This has been niggling me, Just wondering why the Hill of Tara in County Meath was labelled Tara Hill? Two issues come to mind, one is that is known as Hill of Tara, never Tara Hill and the other is that there already was a Tara Hill on the website." - Geo

"Tara Hill is in Co. Wexford.
The 159m summit located at N920597 in Co. Meath has always been referred to as the "Hill of Tara". Reference sources range from my half-century old primary school history books to numerous guide-books, maps, web-sites and even the name above the door of the excellent coffee adjacent the summit!
At one level it may be considered trivia, but at another I think it important that summits (particularly those of high historical and cultural significance such as Tara) are correctly named.
Can it be changed please?" - millsd1

Does a hill that doesn't meet any of the conventional list criteria even belong on the site (encore) ?

"I have many glowing words to say about the "Hill of Tara", indeed it has a personal resonance to me, having used it's imagery on my wedding invitation as we had our celebrations less than 6km from it. But Tara is a hill that fail's most of MV's criteria and although I welcome it's inclusion I think for a site such as this the fact that it is only being added at this stage is about right. When the campaign to have it added was being fought I did not see any of those campaigning offering to gather the data to back up it's inclusion? The one small bit of help that I gave in the recent additions was to gather the required info to actually have the hill added. In doing so I inadvertently missed that it was listed as Tara Hill and not Hill of Tara. This is the source of the error and one that I should be punished by the druids for! We all know that this is an error and one that I'm sure will be fixed in time, but this has been blown out of all proportion.

First world problems people! If this is all that we have to worry about then ain't life rosy." - Trailtrekker

"Ah Tara again. Isn't it interesting how it provokes such robust discussion. Trailtrekker even lets us know that he used its symbolism in his wedding stationery and shows us a picture. I am glad it has been resolved: in its favour - which of course is what some of us were baying for.
Not sure though about Trailtrekker's observation "When the campaign to have it added was being fought I did not see any of those campaigning offering to gather the data to back up it's inclusion". As a protagonist in that debate I myself contributed nothing (if that's the way we want to put it) other than bringing it to our focused attention which clearly (and rightly so) it still has - but I believe MountainViewer maremac far from not contributing data, was the prime mover in the discussion and also the prime provider of the initial if not most of the information the site wanted to start its interrogation. I hope we shall give her credit for that." - BleckCra

And a final word from the man who presided over the whole shebang...
"Long live arguments and opinions. Now leave me alone for pity's sake!" - jackill

On the more general topic of the new tops, reaction has been positive:"I have had a first look at some of the new summits and I must say I am quite enthusiastic about it." - David-Guenot

"Really like the new summits, will give me new ideas for days out and more of a reason to do lower ones that always interested me." - dr_banuska

"Simon3 and all other members of Mountain Views who have contributed to the new listings and formats must be congratulated. I never cease to be amazed by the work a relatively small group of people put in to continue to provide us with an unprecedented source of information on the Irish Hills. Long may it continue." - Harry Goodman

A good-natured spat flared up regarding the Indeterminate Number of Bens of Connemara...
"Two concepts here: 1. to be Scottish 2. to be cannon fodder.
So in the spirit of the Somme, I am being sent over the top to ask Jackill why according to Mountainviews, the mere Twelve are now an impressive Sixteen Bens.
....... 'tis not for me to question why, 'tis but for me to do or die ....... the noo." - BleckCra

"It could be we can't count.
If you take a prominence of 30 meters and a minimum height of 500 meters then there are 18 Bens.
If you count all the mountains/hills that MV list in the Bens then there are 35 Bens.
If you count all the mountains/hills that MV lists in the Bens beginning with Ben or Bin then there are 21 Bens.
If you count all the mountains that MV lists in the Bens over 500 meters beginning with Ben or Bin then there are 16 Bens.
Finally If you count all the mountains that MV lists in the Bens over 500 meters beginning with Ben or Bin with 30 meters prominence...........................then there are 12 Bens." - jackill

(If the Scottish half of this contre-temps were to look to his homeland he'd discover a precedent for this sort of thing...there are six summits in the Five Sisters of Kintail).

And finally, a comment in passing about all those sea-stacks...

"Maybe the sea stacks, which cannot be reached by the usual walking way, should be part of a different list, or at least not included in the local 100, but no bother." - David-Guenot
(I'm glad he said 'no bother' at the end...otherwise I'd be suggesting a move from the wonderland of coastal Donegal to somewhere that takes like likes of Tormore Island out of the equation...like the Midlands).

MountainViews members meet: Scavvy 10.
Looks like this was great though damp fun which we can thank the polar vortex for.
dhmiriam on Scavvy # 10
Scavvy #10.
Jan 18th 2014.
Bhí sé fliuch. Or for the non Gaeilgoirs amongst us, (many had travelled from afar, Slovakia, Poland, Wales, Scotlandish, England, Cork, Kerry, Dublin, Kildare, Middle Earth) Vee Shay Fluck, It Was Wet/Rainy. All day, with variations and degrees of fluichness. The view was fliuch too. Heavy cloud sunk low over rising mist and layers of fog. There were apparitions of m ... Click here

OSi Mapping Developments and what you can do.
Over the last months we mentioned Ordnance Survey Ireland, the national mapping agency for the Republic, are launching a series of 1:25,000 maps starting with a section of Kerry including Mangerton, the Macgillycuddy Reeks and some of the Dunkerrons.
A number of people asked for sample maps and some sent in comments. Two sets of comments came in quickly (thanks, Richard O'Sullivan and Aidan Dillon) and I can tell you that seven points from these contributions made it to a consultation document used by the Ordnance Survey adding to several comments we had made earlier. As with comments from Mountain Rescue and Mountaineering Ireland I understand most of these will be adopted. One of these is an improvement in the paper quality. As I understand it, it is now proposed to produce the maps by default on "Enduro" paper. This has the characteristics of waterproofness that many have been calling for, for years. ( No doubt greats of map making like Ptolemy, Mercator, Drummond and Colby would approve ).
Personally I and others also pushed for improvements to the mapping of forest tracks, something very relevant to the proposed Dublin/Wicklow mapping. I think that the OS understand that particularly at 1:25,000 accurate forest track mapping is simply essential.
If you have further contributions on the Reeks/ Killarney map on any issue - send them in TODAY as I understand there is a slight extension of the time for comments available. admin@mountainviews.ie

The next area which the OSi intend to cover is that of the Dublin/ Wicklow uplands. Essentially production of such maps starts with more detailed information gathering for a selected area. MV and MI were at a planning meeting and pushed for a wider rather than smaller area of interest. It looks like OSi intend to map an extensive area from the northern end of the Wicklow Way to Annagh Hill in Wexford. The full extent of this mapping to a 1:25,000 standard will then be offered in a forthcoming digital product and selected parts of it are likely to appear on double sided paper maps.

If you would like to express interest in the mapping of the Dublin/ Wicklow area to 1: 25,000 please contact us as below.
simon3 on Free, sample 1:25K Macgillycuddys Reeks maps
[ Sorry, all samples now distributed ] The Ordnance Survey in the Republic has given us some sample copies of their new two-sided 1:25,000 map for Macgillycuddy's Reeks/ Killarney National Park. This is the start of what are to be known as the Adventure Series. We have previously made various suggestions to them about their map and have supplied them some of our data.
Their request is as f ... Click here

More detail about the proposed series is in the Dec MV Newsletter. Here are some of the proposed areas:
Derryveagh Mountain & Glenveagh National Park,
Lugnaquilla & Wicklow National Park,
Croagh Patrick & Sheffry Hills,
The Twelve Pins, Maamturks & Connemara National Park,
Nephin Beg & Ballycroy National Park,
and possibly 15 others.

Regional or experienced help wanted regarding the rest of the series
Suppose however you know something about some of the other proposed areas as mentioned above and are aware of deficiencies in the existing maps? Get thinking about concrete suggestions please! Could be about known routes, names wrong, lakes not shown, significant ruins, bothies, bridges, streams to be shown, forest tracks, car parks not shown etc etc.

Register your interest in assisting by emailing admin@mountainviews.ie . When we are asked to comment on specific areas we can then contact you again - this is likely to be well into 2014.

SITE NEWS

Major Extension to Summit Lists - Background and Acknowledgement
We have made a major expansion of our lists, the first for a long time. Here is a description and acknowledgement of the sources of the data.

MountainViews is happy to announce the addition of 284 summits to the "Binnions" which now become defined as Irish summits under 400m with a prominence (aka drop) of 100m . We have also included a number of marginal summits which come close to 100m prominence subject to further checking in the field. Where available and with permission MountainViews has always used pre-existing lists to start from in constructing such an addition. In this case the data started with a list from Jim Bloomer, a member of the Editorial Team of the DoBIH (Database of British and Irish Hills). This is a paraphrased version of what he told us in an email about the list.

The idea of producing a list of Irish HuMPS was entirely mine back in 2010. My starting point was the hills that were already identified by Clem Clements in his 'Hewitts and Marilyns of Ireland' and this left me looking initially for hills where P<140 and H<610. [P in this context means Prominence, H means Height]. Now (as you know) Clem had also (with Rob Woodall's help) put a file on the RHB forum which identified all summits where P>30 and H>290.
So the first thing I did was to check and incorporate some 128 hills from this source. At this point the map work began. It was after several hundred man hours I emerged with a further 186 previously unidentified new hills.

The MountainViews committee then decided to independently verify each of these summits for geographical and other accuracy. We also added information such as County and Mountain Area. The first round of this was done by Mark Brennan. As well as checking the data, Mark also visited some of the summits (including all in the area of Dublin). The second round was by John Fitzgerald, Peter Walker, Gary Smith, Bryan McCabe, Pat Healy, people chosen for knowing the areas.

The data was finally checked in Jan 2014 and various other fields added including isolation, longitude/latitude, ITM, GPS short names etc. Nevertheless some errors have surfaced. We expect over time that members will add or correct such things as name information, GPS position data as well as comments and Short Summaries. Comments are indeed pouring in and corrections are being made.

As mentioned previously MountainViews has taken the decision to incorporate summits of Cultural, Local and Historical interest as suggested by Mary McNulty and Douglas Reid. These are summits which would not otherwise meet the requirements for elevation and prominence but are interesting places for cultural reasons. We have made a start for this release by adding Tara Hill and Hill of Slane.

Following this release some lists have changed somewhat:

Arderins 405 (was 404) (New one is Ott Mountain in the Mournes, newly surveyed to have 31.8 m prominence.)Binnions 486 (was 202)The Highest Hundred has changed slightly as a result of the correction of the prominence of Beann which is now incorporated.
Your Local 100 will change in different parts of the island. In the Dublin area this could mean 22 new Binnions.

The total count of Irish summits is now 1385 (was 1057)
The British lists now incorporate the latest DoBIH release (13.3) so there will be a few additions and changes there also.
The total number of summits listed from Ireland and Britain is now 9416 (was 8951)

Can we continue to point out that MountainViews owes a lot to the help given by its members but also a few individuals that made very substantial contributions. The Community | Credits page
mountainviews.ie/credits/ continues to point out these contributions. On the subject of list data it includes:

The 600m Summits of Ireland 2001 (from Joss Lynam, created from earlier lists which had the cooperation of Rev CRP Vandeleur)

The 500-Metre Tops of Ireland Michael Dewey and Myrddyn Phillips

The 400-Metre Tops of Ireland Myrddyn Phillips

The Hewitts and Marilyns of Ireland E. D. 'Clem' Clements

Irish HuMPS (For Binnion data) Jim Bloomer

Database of British and Irish Hills (for British data)

with many other contributions mentioned such as that of Paul Tempan ( Placenames ). Read the full list at the link mentioned. Some 1930 other members contributions are acknowledged at mountainviews.ie/contributors/
Here are some of these major contributors for whom we have pictures.

Joss Lynam

Myrddyn Phillips

Paul Tempan

Jim Bloomer

Errors and issues
Various errors and difficulties emerged this month on the website. A whole lot of them centre around compatibility with the differing browsers people use. It emerged that the most recent Safari ( the Apple browser), and Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 11 wouldn't work with the bought in menu system we were using. A totally disastrous fault! If you are a software developer you will probably empathise with what happened next. To get the new menu working we had to upgrade the main javascript library we were using (jQuery 1.7) to the latest version. A cascade of at least six other components then emerged from the woodwork, not working with this upgrade each of which had to be found and fixed. (There could even be more I haven't found yet.)
Keep error reports coming in to admin@mountainviews.ie Community bug checking.

simon3 on re Conor, lie detector feature and bugs.
All
Currently we are working through a variety of software bugs.
a. Ticking on summits climbed getting no or inconsistent results. This is fixed, but please check.
b. Error 604. This is fixed, but please check.
c. Error on menus in MSIE and Safari browser. Fixed but please check.
d. Error in Log Analysis. This is fixed, but please check.
Conor: very drole. Indeed an honesty chec ... Click here

Requests for features
The new "Nineteen Lists & Log" page has been mostly welcomed however some people want specific features that were in the old system to be incorporated also. We are definitely going to put the distance column in and will consider some of the others also. In general, do feel free to make requests. It is hard to judge which features are really of value unless there is visible demand.Nine Gigabyte pain relieved but help still wanted.
Last month I appealed for help with Linux administration. The immediate issues were dealt with but if you are in a position to help, there's still an opening here. If you are interested one place to discuss this would be at the Mountain Gathering on 21st Feb. (Before handing out passwords we would want to chat.)
Fortunately this sort of problem doesn't happen too often, but it is tricky to fix when it does (or at least for me).

Same goes for any form of artistic and technical help on the website. Small tasks or large. Get in touch via admin@mountainviews.ie

SUMMITEERS CORNER
A place for those interested in Summiteering, Bagging or Highpointing.

World summiteering news
Rob Woodall, himself a dedicated bagger, wrote the following recently about another summiteer.

1. the first person to summit 200 ultra-prominence summits [Ultra prominent means at least 1500m prominence]
2. the first person to complete all Europe ultras (approx 100 in all)

The second of these is in my view by far the more impressive feat. A
couple of very different challenges by way of illustration:

- summitting the twin summits of Spitzbergen (armed for polar bear
encounters)
- charming his way into the summit compound of Cyprus highpoint Olympos
(any less mortal would either stop at the gate or argue that it's blatantly
in Asia!A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits - The Vandeleur-Lynams & The Arderins
MountainViews first book available online and in many bookshops. A reprint with amendments is planned for 2014.

simon3 on A Guide to Irelands Mountain Summits
MountainViews first book available online and in many bookshops.

As members will know, for over a decade, Mountainviews.ie has been providing unique information to hillwalkers on all aspects of exploring and enjoying Ireland's upland areas. It's been a collaborative effort by over 1000 of you, and currently contains over 6000 comments on 1057 mountains and hills on the island of Ireland ... Click here
Bulk sales to groups such as Scouts/ Guides: contact admin@mountainviews.ie for a discounted price.

Summary.
MountainViews now has 6548 comments about 1121 different hills & mountains out of the total in our current full list (1385). We want to get a good gps track showing the major ways up every summit in Ireland. If you see an option to add a "Short Summary" then do please consider creating one since another objective is to have one for every summit also. There's a few (264) opportunities for you to be the first to comment on a summit.

NOTICES

Notices

If you are contributing, please be careful to respect the interests of landowners.
Suggest access routes well away from houses, gardens or that could conceivably impact farming activities. When walking, keep away from gardens or farm buildings. Use stiles or gates wherever possible. Never do anything that could allow animals to roam where the farmer did not intend. Ask permission where appropriate.

Report suspicious activity to the police forces, as below.

If your car is broken into in an upland area report it to the PSNI or Gardai as this will help them be aware of the issue and tackle it in future. Store the numbers. In Northern Ireland use the PSNI non-emergency number 0845 600 8000. In the Republic you can find the local Garda District HQs phone numbers at www.garda.ie/Stations/Default.aspx

If you hear of a problem area or route, write it up in MountainViews
which does everyone a service.
Report rubbish tipping in the Republic - ring EPA hotline 1850 365 121
Report quads in national park area (in which they are banned). For Wicklow please phone the Duty Ranger: 087-9803899 or the office during office hours Telephone: +353-404-45800. Put these numbers in your phone, take regs etc. Let MV know of contact numbers for other areas.

If you have climbed some of the less well known places, we would appreciate a summit rating and also GPS readings for summits.

If we can, let's make MV have more than one route up a summit so as to reduce the tendency for paths to appear. Your grid refs in comments for different starting points show up on MountainViews maps as well as GPS tracks.

MountainViews are on Twitter as MountainViewsIE. Follow us and we will follow you back. Any queries to secretary@mountainviews.ie

Click on http://mountainviews.ie (If you have cookies on in your browser then you will be prompted as to username/ password. If you forget the password, the login page can email you a replacement.)

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